Type Daily newspaper Owner(s) Johnston Press Editor Oliver Duff | Format Compact Publisher Johnston Press Founded 2010 (2010) | |
The i is a British newspaper owned and published by Johnston Press, which also publishes the Yorkshire Post and The Scotsman. It is aimed at "readers and lapsed readers" of all ages and commuters with limited time, and was launched on 26 October 2010, costing 20 pence. The i was named National Newspaper of the Year in 2015.
Contents
The i used to be part of the group that published The Independent (with which it shared some content) and Independent on Sunday, owned by Evgeny Lebedev, who has other media assets including the Evening Standard and local TV station London LIve.
In March 2014 it had an average daily circulation of 292,801, significantly more than The Independent but a drop of nearly 10,000 compared to the same month the previous year which was 302,757. The circulation has continued to drop, falling to 264,067 in December 2016.
Starting on 7 May 2011 a Saturday edition was published, with more pages and at the price of 30p. This increased to 40p in January 2014, with the weekday edition rising to 30p. In September 2016 the price was raised to 60p, with the weekday edition rising to 50p.
On 11 February 2016 it was revealed that regional publisher Johnston Press, owners of the Yorkshire Post and The Scotsman, were in the advanced stages of talks to buy the i for around £24 million. A "significant number" of staff joined the team from The Independent. The new editorial team was announced in April 2016.
Format
The i is tabloid-size and stapled, and the first issue contained 56 pages. The newspaper contains "matrices" for news, business and sports—small paragraphs of information which are expanded upon in full articles further on in the paper. The title also includes a features section titled iQ, and a television guide. The managing director of The Independent stated several days before the newspaper went into print that the publication is designed for people who do not have much time to read a newspaper. On 20 April 2011, editor Simon Kelner announced that a Saturday edition of the i would be published, starting from 7 May 2011 and costing 30 pence, 10 pence more than the weekday version. The paper is now running Monday to Saturday. The paper now runs a subscription, whereby customers can buy pre-paid vouchers to exchange for their copy of the paper. The subscription can be either six months or a year long and can be chosen Monday to Friday or including Saturday. There is also a discounted student subscription that lasts for one academic year.
Political stance
The i takes a political stance on the centre of the political spectrum with many front page headline articles being concerned with social issues and inequality - but it also prides itself on its balance, publishing points of view from both left and right.
On the day of the 2015 general election, the i declared that it would not be suggesting to readers how they vote, similarly to the Independent on Sunday but in contrast to The Independent which expressed a preference for the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition to continue.
History
A press statement released on the website of The Independent on 19 October 2010 announced the launch of the i. Also in October, Independent Print Limited launched an advertising campaign to promote the new publication. The first issue of the i went on sale on 26 October 2010, along with a new-look version of The Independent.
Editors
- 2010: Simon Kelner
- 2011: Stefano Hatfield
- 2013: Oliver Duff